4 stars!

Thank you @netgalley @Thomas&Mercer

A true crime mystery that reads like a popcorn thriller. Was I here for it? Absolutely.

It’s creepy, mysterious, heart wrenching (check trigger warnings), and strong female leads. I was trying to out the puzzle together but ultimately didn’t figure it all out! A quick read. Past and present.

Definitely add this to your TBR if you like crime fiction/mysteries!!

Thank you to Netgalley for a review copy of Jess Lourey's newest thriller. I love her work, but almost didn't take this one to review. The cover made it look like horror, and I don't read that genre. However, it isn't at all. Yes, the content/subject is horrific, but it's delivered in Lourey's outstandingly twisty thriller technique.

I'm so glad I took a chance on this one. The twists and turns are earned and not just thrown in for theatrics. The plot is believable. Jess really did her research on this one to come up with a character trait so unique, but realistic it made me do a little research of my own. Wow.

Jess is a master of broken but functional characters, sprinkling in little bits of backstory in a seamless manner that allows us to get to know the character without hitting us over the head with a detail.

I hope this one becomes book one of series because I absolutely LOVE the main characters and can't wait to see what crime they solve next.

I raced through this on on the drive back from Colorado and it did not disappoint!

Set in Minnesota (my home state!), it follows Van Reed who works for the BCA cold case division - she’s the point person in charge of solving a case from the 1980’s in which 2 girls went missing. It’s been awhile since I’ve read a good mystery that kept me interested. This one definitely fit the bill! It also looks to be the first of a series in which each book is a difference case. I’ll definitely be adding book 2 to my TBR on Goodreads when it becomes available!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! It releases Sept 19 - be sure to add it to your TBR!

I thank Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

I was hooked right from the first page. The MC is so flawed, brilliant, and so...human which I love very much. She is also very relatable. I also loved Harry.. I wish Harry will be in the 2nd book. I also love the thriller mystery vibe going on all through out the book. I will surely pick up the next in this series.

This is the first I’ve read by this author. I enjoyed the slow burn, yet pulpy and tense atmosphere created. Kept me engaged throughout and shocked me with some intriguing twists and turns. Keen to read some more of this author’s books now!

Really enjoyed this book. It kept you guessing till the very end. I was constantly surprised by all of the twists and turns it had. It was a great book to read at the beach. I didn't want to put it down!

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My first Jess Lourey book. I’ve heard so many great things about this author, and this book did not disappoint.

Three little girls go into the woods…only one comes out. Flash forward to today - Cold Case Detective Van Reed just got the call that a woman has been found buried alive. A fast-paced journey to solve the 1980 cold case, The Taken Ones. This book is more than just the case though. Van is battling demons. She was raised in a cult, is trying to build connections in a new department, and has visions. She works closely with Agent Steinbeck in forensics. On the surface he is handsome, kind, and smart, but there may be more to then meets the eye? Their relationship is rocky at first, but slowly builds. Short chapters, suspenseful, a creepy story about a very bendy man in the woods. The case ties up at the end, but there is a cliffhanger that surprised me. I recommend this book and I am very excited to continue the series.

I just finished The Taken Ones by @jesslourey !!! Holy cow! When I say I devoured this one, I mean I read the whole thing in less than 24 hours!!! This is, by far, her best so far!

When a murder victim shows up buried alive with a necklace from a 1980 cold case, things start to go a-rye for Van Reed! How do the two cases connect, and who did it all?

This epic thriller comes out in September! I would totally go ahead and pre-order it now using this link: https://amzn.to/3NBkJbl

#thrillerbooks #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #bookworm #bibliophile #whodiditbook #jesslourey #thetakenones #netgalley #thomasandmercer

Fantastic read by Jess Lourey! This was big on the creep factor and kept me flipping pages way past my bedtime. Loved the well developed characters and amazing twists and turns. Loved the alternating timelines and POVs. Highly recommend
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

First of all let me say how happy I am that this says Steinbeck and Reed #1, which means there will be more. I've read most of Jess's books and this is my favorite so far!

In 1980, 3 young girls walk into the woods in Leech Lake, Minnesota and only one walks back out. Years later a homeless man tries to rescue a woman who has been buried alive. While the current murder is handled by the Minneapolis Police Department, there is a connection to the previous case. Evangeline "Van" Reed works for the Cold Case Department of the Minnesota BCA. Steinbeck does forensics and they make a great team.

No spoilers but read this. I am looking forward to the next one.

What a chaser of a book! I loved the twists and turns…it kept me guessing all the way to the end!! There were times that I thought it was a certain person, then I changed my mind and thought FOR SURE it was this other person and then at one point I even thought it was one of the girls. But regardless, it was a thriller and a chaser. I felt like I had to keep reading to keep up with the chase…I was never a step ahead!

I absolutely love the phrasing of Jess Lourey’s writing. She is able to capture Minnesota in her turn of phrasing, her word choices, her pop culture references and even her home town stereotypes. I love how Lourey compels me look some things up occasionally; like “a tony suburb”…I had no idea what she meant by that. Look it up…and it fits with Edina, MN too, by the way. I am in awe of some of her clever phrasing like “rubber bone tired” and “accent was as thick as hotdish”…just brilliant!

Being a native of Minnesota, the only thing that bothered me was her use of a Minnesota town (Leech Lake) that is no where near Minneapolis, as the book suggests. Leech Lake is way up north…about 3 hours from the Twin Cities. So that took a little adjusting for this MN girl. I had to remind myself that it’s an author’s liberty to move things around a little bit. I did get over it, but it took me until a good half way through the book to just let it be. I had to remind myself that for anyone other than a Minnesotan, this would not be a sticky point in the book. Let.it.go.

There were so many great descriptions and wonderful side plots and stories that I can’t wait to see what comes next!! Bring it on and make it quick, Jess!

Two girls disappeared 42 years ago while walking through the woods to a creek. Present day one girl is buried alive but help arrives too late. Van and Harry look into the case and it brings up painful memories of her past.
This was a very addictive, gripping read that I couldn’t hardly put down. Thanks NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC that comes out September 19, 2023!

I am a long-standing Jess Lourey fan. This novel is the fourth book by her that I’ve read in the past year.

This book is unique in being her first series title I’ve read. I enjoyed reading this book, the storyline and plot surrounding one (eventually two) morally grey detective partners is such an interesting premise to follow with so much potential for sequels.

Jess Lourey’s writing is the strongest part of her work, she has such a unique voice in her writing. A lot of times I find description bulky and annoying, but Jess tells things exactly as you would see them. Sometimes she describes out things you feel in such a palpable way. Beautiful prose. “I swallowed a gummy, salt-edged sword of emotion (…)” “Overhead, a nearly full moon beat down, soaking everything in an eerie liquid glow.” Some of her observations are insightful, “Everyone craves justice; few of us want it at our own expense” and some are downright hilarious, “He was a balding man that favored dark suits, which gave his head the appearance of a floating egg.”

Add that to a complex, gripping plot and you have a beautifully written page turner. Lourey has a great way of portraying horrible ugly people without gore or traumatic detailing, she can dance around darker topics but knows enough when to tread lightly. That being said there were times I clutched my phone scrolling wildly, mouth hanging agape at the dramatic events folding in front of me.

I loved watching Van Reed and Steinbeck work towards solving the cold case disappearance of the two girls. I think as this series unfolds, Jess is going to develop these characters and their storylines into something amazing. In my opinion every first novel in series reads a bit like a television pilot where the actors haven’t settled into their roles yet. As the series goes I’m really excited to watch Van Reed and Steinbeck find their pace and really settle into their roles as partners, the more they learn (and hide) from each other, the more exciting and twisty these novels will become.

I loved this book and I’m sure you will too. If you’re looking for “not just another detective drama” you’ve found it.

This is a story that pulls you in immediately and never lets up. It starts with the abduction of two girls in 1980. Fast forward to 2022, and a woman is found, buried alive and possibly related to the 1980’s case. Van, an agent at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, is assigned the cold case and with the help of Harry, a forensic scientist, and their team, they work toward getting justice for those girls. Meanwhile, Det. Comstock of the Milwaukee PD takes on the current case, and his past with Van (she had a contentious working relationship with him at MPD) makes it a difficult match as they need to work together in order to solve both.

I loved the dynamic between Van and a Harry; there was a sort of Yin and Yang feel to their personalities. The other side characters were fleshed out and real, too, no matter how small a role they played. I’m excited to see how these characters grow and interact as this series continues.

There were a few subplots, one involving Van’s past, and one about her lucid dreams which were more like visions that gave a sort of preternatural feeling to the book. I’m not sure how this will play out in future books or if magical realism will enter at some point, but it made for an interesting addition to the story.

This is the first book I’ve read of Lourey’s, but I’ll certainly be reading some of her backlog after this and impatiently waiting for the next in this series to come out.

I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.

First book by this author. Hopefully won't be the last! Can Van and Harry figure out what has happened? Three go in and one comes out. what can they get out of the one girl who made it out? You will not be able to put this book down.

4.5 ⭐️

The story begins July 1980 at Leech Lake, Minnesota. Three little girls went into the woods to go swimming in the creek. Rue, her best friend Amber, and Rue’s little sister Lily. Only Rue comes out and she has no memory of what happened.

Now, 2022, Evangeline Reed is a cold case investigator for the BCA (Bureau of Criminal Apprehension) and is called to the scene of a homicide when the victim was found buried alive with a necklace that belonged to one of the missing little girls.

Agent Reed & her partner, Harry Steinbeck, both have a past and try to insert themselves into what happened in 1980 so they can uncover the truth behind the missing girls and hope their own secrets stay hidden.

This was my first Jess Lourey book and I loved it. I’m really hoping for more Steinbeck & Reed especially after that ending! There is a lot of information with multiple points of view. Some parts weren’t for me so it didn’t completely make it a five star for me but it is definitely worth the read.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and Jess Lourey for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book will be available September 19, 2023.

This one didn’t fully hit me until the end… and it hit me hard!

This is a story where the connection is trying to be made between an old, unsolved case and a new, unsolved case, with Van and Harry tasked to put the pieces together.

When the body of a woman is found, having been buried alive, she is clutching a remarkable piece of jewelry that is identical to that belonging to the girls in a case dating back decades. The atmosphere is fantastic for an unsettling story like this. There are unknowns everywhere, secrets must be dug up after years gone by, and the two people on the case may be hiding something, each their own.

I LOVE that this is setting up a series with Van and Harry as our dynamic duo. They are intrigued by one another, while still demonstrating how vastly different they are. I thought their energy together was perfection.

I really enjoyed Van and her… abilities. She was the one I couldn’t get enough of in this story. Her compassion was a quality I found refreshing.

This story was great. I found the pacing and the tension to be spot on, but it was the final two chapters that had me reeling, especially the final one. I cannot wait for more!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of The Taken Ones, a stand-alone set in and around Minneapolis.

In 1980 three grade school girls walked into the local woods and only one came out. The other two were never found. Now in 2022 a woman has been found buried alive and there are links to that 1980 disappearance. Cold case detective Van Reed and forensic specialist Harry Steinbeck of the Minnesota BCA are assigned to the case and are determined to solve it.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Taken Ones, which is an exciting read, full of twists and turns and a little drama of a more personal nature. I was really taken by the tone of the novel, which I would describe as lively. It draws the reader in and gets them involved in events and rooting for Van at every success and more often at every setback.

The novel opens with girls’ trip to the woods and that sets the tone as it feels creepy when seen through their young eyes and draws the reader in, making them want to know what happened. After that it is mostly told from Van’s point of view with the odd interjection from the kidnapper, who mostly muses about the danger she presents to him. Van’s narrative is mostly in the present, but there are flashbacks to her childhood when she lived in a cult and was abused. This childhood experience colours her present day as she has great empathy for victims of violence, but it has also given her visions where she can see crimes being committed. It’s not a subject I believe in so it put me off the novel slightly (hence 4, not 5*). Still, I could live with it if I got to see more of Van and her budding friendship with the more rational Harry.

The plot held my attention from start to finish. It follows an increasingly frantic and from her colleagues’ point of view erratic Van as she races to solve the case, hampered at every turn by her former colleague at Minneapolis PD, Detective David Comstock. There are blind alleys, twists, verbal fights, office politics and some solid investigative work, in short the novel has a bit of everything.

I would gladly spend more time with Van Reed, so I have no hesitation in recommending The Taken Ones as a good read.

This was my first Jess Lourey book, but it won’t be my last.

Evangeline “Van” Reed is a cold case detective with a traumatic past. She also experiences lucid dreams that clue her into some of the worst parts of humanity. It’s just a matter of deciphering the clues her dreams present to her. After a woman is found buried alive, she and her department are tasked with solving a cold case of two young girls who went missing in 1980.

This book was full of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end. There was one surprise involving Van that came very early on, and it provides a very interesting secondary storyline. There were multiple different threads of story weaving together throughout the book in addition to the main plot that led to things getting a little confusing at times, but it all centered around Van and her dreams. The way the main story of the missing girls played out was really unique and interesting, and it definitely had a creep factor to it. The way the book ends also sets up really well for continuing the series. I look forward to reading the next book.

"𝑰 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓...𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒔. 𝑰𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒂 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒔."

You could hand me a sheaf of loose paper with no title or author, and within a few paragraphs, I'd know I was reading a Jess Lourey book. She has a style, a voice, that is uniquely her own. The book begins in the summer of 1980 with three little girls going through the woods to a fishing hole. Only one emerges, her face and mind both blank with trauma. Fast forward to summer of 2022, and a woman has been buried alive, holding on to a heart charm necklace that belonged to one of the missing girls.

Cold case detective Van Reed and forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck make an interesting team. Van is no stranger to trauma and has visions that may be rooted in some psychic ability or may stem from deep intuition. Steinbeck believes in science, but one thing they have in common is that they both have ties to the original case.

Her books reminded me of something I just couldn't put my finger on, but while reading THE TAKEN ONES, it came to me. If you're a fan of the long off the air show Cold Case with Detective Lily Rush, her books remind me of Lily's gentle nature, the dignity she gave the victims, and the closure she brought to grieving families. I am so grateful to be a part of her ARC team and having the chance to read this book early. This book will publish September 19, 2023.